A man suffering from asbestos lung cancer has filed a legal claim alleging a cover-up of relevant scientific information.

Plaintiff Larry H. was diagnosed with lung cancer in July 2015. Larry believes his lung cancer was caused by asbestos exposure he endured during 10 years as a laborer, truck driver, and military service member. He claims that because of his asbestos lung cancer, he is no longer able to work as much as he used to.

Larry has named as defendants a long list of companies that allegedly had a hand in manufacturing the asbestos-based products he says he was exposed to. Defendants include Dow Chemical Co., Alfa Laval Inc. and Borg-Warner Morse Tec LLC.

Larry alleges in his asbestos lung cancer lawsuit these companies breached their duty to exercise a minimal level of care in the manufacture and distribution of products that could cause asbestos exposure.

A separate claim for conspiracy against Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. alleges the company concealed scientific information about the dangers associated with asbestos exposure.

The Asbestos Lung Cancer Lawsuit is filed under case no. 16-L-109 in the circuit court for St. Clair County, Il.

Asbestos Lung Cancer

Lung cancer from asbestos is one of the rarer types of lung cancer. Medical science has been aware of the causal relationship between asbestos and lung cancer since the 1930s. While the vast majority of lung cancer deaths in the United States are attributable to smoking, around 4,800 deaths per year can be traced to asbestos exposure.

Like other asbestos-related conditions, asbestos lung cancer may take decades to develop. This period is referred to as the “latency period” for the disease. How fast cancer from asbestos develops can be affected by a few different factors like the amount of asbestos exposure and the presence of other carcinogens like cigarettes.

Because of the long latency period for asbestos lung cancer, it’s often not diagnosed until a later stage of development, increasing the likelihood it might spread, and decreasing the patient’s chances of survival. For the same reason, many plaintiffs like Larry file their asbestos lawsuits decades after their alleged exposure.

The length of the latency period is part of one set of criteria used to determine whether a given case of lung cancer was caused by asbestos. These criteria, known as the Helsinki criteria, require a minimum of 10 years to have passed between exposure and development of lung cancer.

Where Asbestos Exposure Can Happen

Claims like Larry’s often arise out of asbestos exposure on the job. Back before asbestos began to be heavily regulated in the 1970s, it was widely used throughout several industries. Insulation, drywall, adhesives, flooring tiles, gaskets, pipes, and many other products were all made using asbestos, resulting in exposure for many different kinds of workers.

Many of these asbestos-based components are still in place today, despite the onset of heavy regulation. It can still be found in many public buildings like schools, and it continues to be used in manufacturing several products such as automotive brakes and clutches and some types of construction products.